Staple apparatus and methods for stapling

Abstract

A staple apparatus can comprise a staple head movable in a first staple direction from a head retracted position to a head extended position. The staple apparatus can further comprise an indexing apparatus comprising an index biasing member and an indexing member. The indexing member can be positioned at least partially within an indexing area and biased with the index biasing member toward a member extended position relative to the indexing area. The indexing member can define a rung travel path and can further comprise an indexing tab comprising a ramp surface positioned to taper the rung travel path in the first indexing direction. The indexing tab can further comprise a shoulder positioned past at least a portion of the ramp surface in the first indexing direction. In further embodiments, a staple chain positioning apparatus can comprise a push member movable in an extension direction.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A staple apparatus comprising:
 a staple head movable in a first staple direction from a head retracted position to a head extended position; and   an indexing apparatus comprising:
 an index biasing member; and 
 an indexing member positioned at least partially within an indexing area and biased with the index biasing member toward a member extended position relative to the indexing area, the indexing member being movable in a first indexing direction from the member extended position to a member retracted position relative to the indexing area, wherein the first indexing direction comprises a directional component in the first staple direction, the indexing member defining a rung travel path and further comprising an indexing tab comprising a ramp surface positioned to taper the rung travel path in the first indexing direction, and the indexing tab further comprising a shoulder positioned past at least a portion of the ramp surface in the first indexing direction. 
   
     
     
         2 . The staple apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the indexing apparatus further comprises a cover member at least partially defining the indexing area, the cover member comprising a staple chain slot passing through the cover member to the indexing area. 
     
     
         3 . The staple apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the cover member includes a plurality of grooves extending in the first indexing direction and facing the indexing area, the plurality of grooves comprising a first pair of grooves. 
     
     
         4 . The staple apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of grooves further comprises a second pair of grooves. 
     
     
         5 . The staple apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the cover member further comprises a rung tab comprising a ramp to permit passage of a rung of a staple chain over the rung tab when feeding a portion of the staple chain into the staple chain slot and the rung tab further comprises a shoulder to inhibit passage of the rung of the staple chain back over the rung tab to inhibit a movement of the portion of the staple chain out of the staple chain slot. 
     
     
         6 . The staple apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the cover member comprises a plurality of rung tabs arranged in a row extending in a direction transverse to the first indexing direction. 
     
     
         7 . The staple apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of rung tabs comprises three rung tabs. 
     
     
         8 . The staple apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the indexing tab extends through an opening in a body of the indexing member. 
     
     
         9 . The staple apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the indexing tab is movable relative to the body from an engagement position in which the ramp surface tapers the rung travel path to a disengagement position in which the taper of the rung travel path is reduced. 
     
     
         10 . The staple apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the indexing member further comprises a tab biasing member, wherein the indexing tab is biased by the tab biasing member toward the engagement position. 
     
     
         11 . The staple apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the tab biasing member comprises a torsion spring. 
     
     
         12 . The staple apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the indexing tab is rotatably mounted relative to the body of the indexing member. 
     
     
         13 . The staple apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the indexing member comprises a plurality of indexing tabs. 
     
     
         14 . The staple apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein a first pair of the plurality of indexing tabs is arranged in a column extending in the first indexing direction. 
     
     
         15 . The staple apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein a second pair of the plurality of indexing tabs are arranged in a row extending in a direction transverse to the first indexing direction. 
     
     
         16 . The staple apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the indexing apparatus further comprises a stop device including a shoulder configured to move relative to the indexing member to engage a portion of the indexing member to reduce a length of a stroke of the indexing member between the member extended position and the member retracted position. 
     
     
         17 . The staple apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the portion of the indexing member comprises a protrusion extending within a stroke path. 
     
     
         18 . The staple apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the stop device comprises a protrusion configured to be moved into the stroke path to reduce an effective length of the stroke path that reduces the length of the stroke of the indexing member. 
     
     
         19 . The staple apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the shoulder of the stop device is configured to move relative to the indexing member to engage the portion of the indexing member to reduce an extent that the indexing member extends to the member extended position. 
     
     
         20 . The staple apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a staple chain positioning apparatus comprising a push member comprising an abutment surface configured to abut an abutment surface of the indexing member to adjust an extent that the indexing member retracts relative to the indexing area when the staple head is in the head retracted position. 
     
     
         21 . The staple apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the push member is movable in an extension direction comprising a directional component in the first indexing direction. 
     
     
         22 . The staple apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the staple chain positioning apparatus further comprises a slide member configured to slide in a slide direction transverse to the extension direction, wherein an interface between the slide member and the push member causes movement of the push member in the extension direction in response to movement of the slide member in the slide direction, and the interface comprises an interface protrusion positioned within an interface slot. 
     
     
         23 . The staple apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the push member comprises the interface protrusion and the slide member comprises the interface slot. 
     
     
         24 . The staple apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the staple chain positioning apparatus further comprises a cover member comprising a cover slot extending in the slide direction, and the slide member comprises a positioning protrusion extending through the cover slot of the cover member of the staple chain positioning apparatus. 
     
     
         25 . The staple apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the index biasing member comprises an extension spring. 
     
     
         26 . A method of feeding a staple chain with the staple apparatus of  claim 1 , the method comprising:
 moving the staple head in the first staple direction from the head retracted position while the index biasing member biases the indexing member to move relative to the staple head in a second indexing direction opposite the first indexing direction from the member retracted position to the member extended position; and   continuing to move the staple head in the first staple direction such that the indexing member and a first rung of the staple chain engaging the shoulder of the indexing tab are moved together with the staple head in the first staple direction toward the head extended position.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising adjusting a length of a stroke of the indexing member to change a number of rungs of the staple chain that pass over the ramp surface of the indexing tab when moving the staple head in a second staple direction opposite the first staple direction from the head extended position toward the head retracted position. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising moving the staple head in the second staple direction, wherein a second rung adjacent to the first rung passes over the ramp surface of the indexing tab. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the second rung passes over the ramp surface of the indexing tab while moving the indexing member in the first indexing direction from the member extended position to the member retracted position. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , comprising further moving the staple head in the second staple direction, wherein a third rung adjacent to the second rung passes over the ramp surface of the indexing tab. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the third rung passes over the ramp surface of the indexing tab while continuing to move the indexing member in the first indexing direction from the member extended position to the member retracted position. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising adjusting the member extended position to adjust a cut location of the staple chain. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising feeding a portion of the staple chain through a staple chain slot by continuing to move the staple head in the first staple direction. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising preventing the portion of the staple chain that is fed through the staple chain slot from exiting the staple chain slot. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33 , further comprising moving the indexing tab to a disengagement position, and then pulling the staple chain out of the staple chain slot. 
     
     
         36 . An indexing apparatus for indexing a staple chain, the indexing apparatus comprising:
 a support member;   an index biasing member;   an indexing member positioned at least partially within an indexing area and biased with the index biasing member toward a member extended position relative to the indexing area, the indexing member being movable in a first indexing direction from the member extended position to a member retracted position relative to the indexing area, the indexing member defining a rung travel path and further comprising an indexing tab comprising a ramp surface positioned to taper the rung travel path in the first indexing direction, and the indexing tab further comprising a shoulder positioned past at least a portion of the ramp surface in the first indexing direction, wherein the indexing apparatus further comprises a cover member comprising a staple chain slot passing through the cover member to the indexing area, wherein the indexing area is defined between the support member and the cover member, and wherein the cover member includes a plurality of grooves extending in the first indexing direction and facing the indexing area, the plurality of grooves comprising a first pair of grooves.   
     
     
         37 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein the plurality of grooves further comprises a second pair of grooves. 
     
     
         38 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein the cover member further comprises a rung tab comprising a ramp to permit passage of a rung of a staple chain over the rung tab when feeding a portion of the staple chain into the staple chain slot, and the rung tab further comprises a shoulder to inhibit passage of the rung of the staple chain back over the rung tab to inhibit a movement of the portion of the staple chain out of the staple chain slot. 
     
     
         39 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 38 , wherein the cover member comprises a plurality of rung tabs arranged in a row extending in a direction transverse to the first indexing direction. 
     
     
         40 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 39 , wherein the plurality of rung tabs comprises three rung tabs. 
     
     
         41 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein a portion of the indexing tab extends through an opening in a body of the indexing member. 
     
     
         42 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 41 , wherein the indexing tab is movable relative to the body from an engagement position in which the ramp tapers the rung travel path to a disengagement position in which the taper of the rung travel path is reduced. 
     
     
         43 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 42 , wherein the indexing tab is biased by a tab biasing member toward the engagement position. 
     
     
         44 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 43 , wherein the tab biasing member comprises a torsion spring. 
     
     
         45 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 41 , wherein the indexing tab is rotatably mounted relative to the body of the indexing member. 
     
     
         46 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein the indexing member comprises a plurality of indexing tabs. 
     
     
         47 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 46 , wherein a first pair of the plurality of indexing tabs is arranged in a column extending in the first indexing direction. 
     
     
         48 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 47 , wherein a second pair of the plurality of indexing tabs is arranged in a row extending in a direction transverse to the first indexing direction. 
     
     
         49 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 36 , further comprising a stop device including a shoulder configured to move relative to the indexing member to engage a portion of the indexing member to reduce a length of a stroke of the indexing member between the member extended position and the member retracted position. 
     
     
         50 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 49 , wherein the portion of the indexing member comprises a protrusion extending within a stroke path. 
     
     
         51 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 50 , wherein the stop device comprises a protrusion configured to be moved into the stroke path to reduce an effective length of the stroke path that reduces the length of the stroke of the indexing member. 
     
     
         52 . The indexing apparatus of  claim 49 , wherein the shoulder of the stop device is configured to move relative to the indexing member to engage the portion of the indexing member to reduce an extent that the indexing member extends to the member extended position.